Different places can create various perspectives on the size of the world around you. As in my case, I came from a small town in Ukraine, surrounded by miles of rural areas. Many of the buildings were not more than five stories and everything was within walking distance.
As I got older and taller, being that I am above average height today, the town seemed to get smaller and smaller; I could run and bike further and faster across it. Long strolls turned into short rides or walks along the few local streets.
However, after coming to New York, and seeing the millions of people (almost half of my country’s population) living in one city changed my perspective on the size of the places where you live. Dwarfed by the glorious skyscrapers and other architecture, admired as art, really showed me how big this world is, and how many places today are no longer built towards the thousands, but rather the millions. Is it better this way? Perhaps, sometimes I do like the anonymity among the millions of people around me in some cases and at the same time it can be a factor bringing individuals down. All in all, it is can be both a great thing as well as not.
Having lived in New York City my entire life, I find that going to small towns where anonymity is not an option can be rather scary. Wide open spaces and small buildings can be disturbing when you’re used to a tiny island of skyscrapers. I enjoyed reading your post, it really illustrated the benefits of both the large and the small.